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The Forlorn Soldier (2010 film)
The Forlorn Soldier is a 2010 Elipian biographical drama film based on the once famed Elipian war hero Gunnery Sergeant Thomas Miklas's struggle to fit into society while coping with a severe case of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. The film features Christopher Pine as Miklas, an ill war veteran, and Frederick Ika as Eric Miklas, his nephew who had recently enlisted into the armed forces. The screenplay by Robert Orcha is based on the best-selling memoir written by Thomas Miklas. The film was released on March 22, 2010, by Freedom Entertainment. For his performance, Pine was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Best Actor. Synopsis In 1979 Isenguard, Thomas Miklas (Christopher Pine) had been formally discharged from active military service following a tragic incident while on patrol leading to the death of the majority of his unit and his kidnapping and torture for five years before being rescued. However the experience had rendered him both mentally and physically unfit for active duty. He quickly learns his wife had left him and sold the majority of his property, leaving him alone in a small apartment barely scraping by off of the war veteran fund. He isolated himself from human contact, refusing to speak to others about his constant recurring nightmares surrounding the event. Unemployed, Miklas on occasions makes short walks downtown, trying to adjust to the city which changed drastically during his service. During one of his trips, Miklas bumps into a soldier in uniform revealed to be his nephew Eric Miklas (Frederick Ika). Miklas, horrified that his nephew will have to go abroad soon, runs in disbelief. He takes a taxi out of the city before realizing he was not carrying enough money for the ride. He escapes, resulting in the taxi driver chasing him into a subway station, screaming and shouting for his money along the way. He begins hallucinating, seeing the taxi driver as a terrorist, and throws him onto the tracks as a train arrives, resulting in his arrest for manslaughter. He is further set back when his bank account was garnished by the National Revenue Service for unpaid income taxes, resulting in his landlord evicting him. He lived on the streets for the next week, occasionally being able to rest for a night in a homeless shelter. One night he is found again by Eric who dragged him back to his own home, quickly arranging for leave from service to take care of Miklas. Eric's household quickly became awkward over the next two weeks, with neither of them speaking to each other. After the two weeks were up, Eric left Miklas in his home to return to base. He however forgot his personal equipment, including his handgun. Seeing how cruel his own home country was, Miklas contemplated suicide using his nephew's personal handgun, however is stopped by Eric, who had quickly returned to pick up his equipment. Miklas finally opens up to Eric, confesses his nightmares and the war. Eric decides to leave the military, refusing to leave the old man alone. Eric shared his old nostalgia, reminding Miklas of their life before the war. Miklas comes to terms with the changed world, and smiles for the first time since returning from combat Cast *Christopher Pine as Thomas Miklas *Frederick Ika as Eric Miklas *Kurt Fluffer as Walter Ribbon Production Music Deviation from actual events Although generally faithful to the series of events, many subtle details deviate from the actual event. Event's Include: *The age of Eric Miklas and his military service: in the film Eric was 25 whereas in reality he was only twelve and thus was not serving in the military at the time *The arrest of Thomas: in the film Thomas was arrested after he killed a taxi driver whereas in reality Thomas was thrown was held for a single day for public intoxication *Eric's household: in the film Eric invited Thomas to stay with him whereas in reality it was his parents who had invited him Release Box office Home media Reception Critical response The film was received generally positively by critics. Film review site WyztTomatoes calculated a 78% overall approval based on 171 reviews. In the Isenguard Chronicle, Nick Margret observed, "The great surprise of the picture is that it's not corny ... The beauty of the film is its honesty. It does not paint a picture of war as glorious and amazing, instead, it follows the pattern most common in life — it chronicles a series of soul-sickening failures and defeats, missed opportunities, sure things that didn't quite happen, all of which are accompanied by a concomitant accretion of barely perceptible victories that gradually amount to something. In other words, it all feels real." Professor Lyter Goodmen wrote an article stating the film "depicted the real suffering of war vets, suffering alone and afraid of the world around them" Accolades *Academy Award for Best Actor (Christopher Pine, nominee) *Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama (Christopher Pine, nominee) *Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song ("A Soldier's Path," words and music by Seal, nominee) *Black Reel Award for Best Film (nominee) *Black Reel Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture (Christopher Pine, nominee) *Black Reel Award for Best Breakthrough Performer (Frederick Ika, nominee) *NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Motion Picture (winner) *NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture (Christopher Pine, nominee) *NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture (Frederick Ika, nominee) *Screen Actors' Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role - Motion Picture (Christopher Pine, nominee) *MTV Movie Award for Best Male Performance (Christopher Pine, nominee) *MTV Movie Award for Best Male Breakthrough Performance (Frederick Ika, winner) *Teen Choice Awards for Choice Movie: Breakout Male (Frederick Ika, winner) *Teen Choice Awards for Choice Movie: Chemistry (Frederick Ika and Christopher Pine, winner) *Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor (Christopher Pine, nominee) *BFCA Critics' Choice Award for Best Young Actor (Frederick Ika, nominee) *BET Award for Best Actor (Christopher Pine, nominee) *PFCS Award for Best Performance by Youth in a Leading or Supporting Role - Male (Frederick Ika, winner) *Chicago Film Critics Association Award for best actor (Christopher Pine, nominee) *Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists for Best Score (A.B.Rhaman, nominee) *Capri Award for Movie of The Year (winner) See also *The Diplomatic Colony of The United Royal Kingdom of Elipida *The Devil's Isles (2011 film) *The Free Channel Category:Film Category:Entertainment